Having trouble falling to sleep is something that affects most of us at some point of another. An estimated 50-70 million American adults have a sleep or wakefulness disorder. Thirty per cent of all adults will suffer from insomnia at some point over the course of a year. And 29% of American adults have reported that they get less than six hours sleep every night. But let’s face it, getting a good night’s sleep is important, and when you’re not getting it every aspect of your life is affected. Sleep is becoming increasingly recognized as vital to our health, with lack of sleep being linked to car crashes, workplace disasters, medical errors and other occupational mistakes. So what does all this have to do with tea? Well tea has been shown to reduce the effects of insomnia, ease the drinker into a state of relaxation, and encourage a good night’s sleep.
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| Image from: RateTea |
Why Try Tea?
If you have insomnia and you’d like to treat it you have many options, but drinking tea is an effective and safe thing to try first before you opt to visit your doctor or turn to prescription drugs as a sleep aid. It’s easy to become addicted to insomnia medication, and once you’re taking them they can be difficult to wean yourself away from. So choosing to take prescription sleeping pills to aid your slumber is a big decision that shouldn’t be taken lightly. Tea, however, is a safe alternative and there is plenty of evidence to show that a cup of tea before you go to bed can help you drift off into a deep and peaceful sleep. When it comes to non-prescription sleep aids, chamomile tea is one of the most popular on the market. Chamomile tea is a herbal tea made from the blossoms of the chamomile plant, and contains no caffeine, so it won’t keep you up. In fact, chamomile tea can help make you sleepy because it contains apidenin, a flavonoid compound, which is proven to have relaxing effects. If you’re not a fan of chamomile tea there are other alternatives available that will also aid your sleep. Green tea contains theanine, which can also help to promote sleep. If you opt to try green tea for sleep though, be sure you get a decaffeinated green tea, otherwise the sleep inducing effects will be counterbalanced!
Top Tea Drinking Tips
You don’t need to limit your chamomile tea consumption just to the evening to aid sleep. You might be surprised to know that drinking caffeine can cause sleep problems up to ten to twelve hours after you drink it! Caffeine has a host of negative affects, including dehydration, aging properties, and sleep defects. So if you really want to improve your sleep you should consider eliminating caffeine from your diet after lunchtime, and cutting back your daily caffeine intake altogether. Leave the normal tea and coffee in the cupboard and opt for chamomile instead at any point throughout the day! No matter what tea you choose to drink for your bedtime brew though, it is likely that drinking it will relax you and help you feel sleepy because of the ritual involved in preparing it. The process of creating the drink and following the same routine every time (add the teabag, pour the water, take a tentative sip) is like a form of guided meditation and the combination of placebo, memory, and routine can relax you enough to drive you straight to bed! So if you dislike the taste of chamomile or green tea, why not try drinking a decaffeinated cup of your favorite tea instead? Drinking tea also helps increase your core body temperature, which in turn encourages sleep and relaxation. And as an added bonus, drinking tea before bed raises the metabolism and increases fat oxidation, and reduces the risk of heart diseases and heart attacks by reducing the risk of thrombosis. So the conclusion is that if you’re struggling to sleep at night and you’re looking for a quick fix, having a cup of tea could definitely help and is worth trying before you search for more serious medicated solutions. Proof once again that a relaxing cup of tea really can cure everything!
*Guest Author: Lisa Richards; Graduate in Food and Nutritional Sciences.